Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
by Runehar
Summary: One mistake is all it takes... Set sometime during Season One. Robin whump, no happy ending. Chapter Three now up, the story is completed!
1. Chapter 1

They had been winning.

Their undercover operation had, as usual, not remained so and the Team had had to fight their way out of the warehouse they had been observing. The first sign of trouble came when Robin, who had been hacking the warehouse complex's computers for electronic evidence of human trafficking, whispered a brief _Ptiu!_ into the mental link.

_Sorry guys,_ he went on._ I missed a security feature and tripped a silent alarm._

If anything could be said for Conner, he was direct. _What does that mean?_

_It means,_ the Boy Wonder explained, _that our undercover mission is no longer 'under.' Get ready for some company..._

Running footsteps could be heard outside the warehouse and the team, who had been searching the warehouses for physical evidence, fell into defensive positions.

_Robin, remain in the office and retrieve the evidence we came for. We may never have another opportunity,_ ordered Aqualad. _Kid Flash, stay with him._

Wally raced toward the office building just as the north entrance opened to admit a dozen guards.

_We can take 'em_, declared Artemis.

_Agreed,_ replied Aqualad, unsheathing his water bearers. Suddenly, the south entrance banged open as well, and another two dozen guards entered, flanking the teens. All the guards were armed with semi-automatics, and the Team would be caught in their crossfire.

The Team and the guards faced each other, neither side acting just yet. Robin's voice echoed again in their heads. _Got it! We have the evidence we needed!_

_Good,_ Aqualad responded. _Because we will need your assistance. Wally, return here and see what you can do about some of these guards. Robin, return as quickly as you can. We must get this evidence back to the League._

A whirlwind raced through the warehouse, signalling the arrival of Kid Flash. He quickly dispatched nearly half the guards before the remaining half realized what was happening and opened fire on the Team. Miss Martian merely fazed through the bullets, buffering several guards with telekinetically-moved crates. Aqualad paused momentarily to convert one of his water bearers to a shield and the other to a mace before charging the five guards on his left. Artemis leapt for a stack of crates, ducking behind them for protection even as she fired an arrow at an approaching guard, dropping him with the taser tip. Superboy simply charged the ten guards in front of him, ignoring the bullets that bounced off his skin. In all the confusion, none of them noticed the one guard who disappeared through the side door which led to the office building.

The Team quickly dispatched the remaining guards. Conner and Miss Martian began gathering the guards together to tie them up when the sharp sound of automatic gunfire rang out from the direction of the office building. Before the Team could respond, the gunfire echoed again.

_Kid Flash, go,_ ordered Aqualad. _We will follow._

Wally raced away without any further prompting. As he exited the warehouse, he saw a figure racing away from the office building. He chuckled to himself; no-one could escape the Wall-man! He took the guard down, knocking him out with a well-aimed blow. _No help needed, guys, _he told the Team._ I handled him._

_Understood_, replied Aqualad._ Robin, where are you?_

No answer.

_Robin, please respond. What is your location?_

_Come on, Rob. This isn't the time for one of your disappearing acts! We have to go!_

Miss Martian broke in. _Guys, he's not connected to the mind link. I can't contact him. He may be unconscious..._

Wally scoffed into the link, though his heart started to beat faster. _Please, this is Robin. He could take care of himself with both hands tied behind his ba-_

_Nevertheless, _Aqualad interrupted_. He is our teammate. Kid Flash, search the office building. I'm sending Conner to help you. The rest of us will remain and take care of these guards._

Wally left the guard where he lay; the Team would collect and restrain him in a few minutes. As he ran back toward the warehouse, he spotted a figure just outside the office building lying on the ground in a heap. He nearly passed it by, assuming it was a guard Robin had taken down. Suddenly, he noticed a flash of yellow among the figure's dark clothing.

_Robin!_ Wally reached his side, hands shaking as he took in the damage. The Team clamored in the back of his mind, demanding what had caused Wally to cry out their youngest's name.

_R-R-Robin's been sh-shot!_ Wally stammered._ I can't- I don't-_ Wally stopped, unable to continue. Robin lay on the ground in a pool of blood. Wally turned Robin over onto his back, letting out a low keen as he saw the five bullet wounds which had mutilated Robin's abdomen. He pressed his hands to the wounds, trying to stop the flow of blood.

Wally barely registered Aqualad's voice in his head. _M'Gann, summon the bio-ship. Artemis, contact the watchtower._

Wally tuned out the rest of Aqualad's instructions when he noticed Robin's lips were moving. He leaned in close, trying to catch what Robin was saying.

"...Domnului sufletul meu... de a păstra... dacă ar trebui să... mor inainte sa ma trezesc..." Robin said, his voice getting softer with each word. Wally couldn't understand the words, but he understood Robin's intention.

"C'mon, Rob," he sobbed. "You don't need to pray. You're gonna be fine, right? You're a fighter. You're gonna pull through this."

The Team arrived in the bio-ship, Artemis still on the communicator with Hawkman. Aqualad and Superboy ran down the ramp, lifting Robin carefully while Wally continued to put pressure on the wounds. M'Gann converted one of the seats to a table and they set Robin on it; Superboy took over the communicator as Artemis helped Aqualad begin administering first aid. In the back of his mind, Wally registered the fact that they must still be communicating telepathically to each other, but he couldn't bring himself to care that they had cut him out of the link. He locked his eyes on Robin's chest as it rose and fell as he breathed in and out...

In... out...

In... out...

In... out...

...

...

...

_Acum mă stabilesc de a dormi/ Mă rog Domnului sufletul meu de a păstra/ Dacă ar trebui să mor inainte sa ma trezesc/ Mă rog Domnului sufletul meu să lua._

(_Now I lay me down to sleep/ I pray the Lord my soul to keep/ If I should die before I wake/ I pray the Lord my soul to take.)_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry if I fail on the techy stuff. I have friends who are tech geniuses, but their brilliance has yet to rub off on me...

I don't have any acrobat friends, so that explains my failure on that score...

Additional warning: Lots of (English) swear words in this chapter.

* * *

He was so stupid.

He had been so focused on trying to find the evidence the Justice League needed to shut down the human trafficking ring that he hadn't run a complete scan for spyware. A popup appeared, notifying him that a silent alarm had been triggered at his location. He swore. That was one of the first things Batman had taught him about hacking: never get caught.

_Sorry guys,_ he said into the Team's link._ I missed a security feature and tripped a silent alarm._

Robin was kind of surprised when Superboy asked what he meant. What did evil cloning and brainwashing facilities teach nowadays?

_It means,_ the Boy Wonder explained,_ that our undercover mission is no longer 'under.' Get ready for some company..._

Robin was already searching for the evidence before Aqualad's order came. Without having to worry about stealth anymore he found the files before Wally even arrived.

He informed the Team of his find and started for the warehouse. He kicked open the emergency exit and nearly ran headlong into a guard. He immediately reached for his smoke pellets; he did some of his best work when he was invisible.

Robin tossed the smoke pellets on the ground and disappeared into the ensuing vapor. Robin nearly swore again when the guard started firing blindly into the smoke. He could handle a guy with a gun. A stupid guy with a gun was dangerous and unpredictable. He switched tactics. Rather than rushing this guy head on, he was gonna have to try to take him from behind, before the guy had a chance to fire on him again. He was just creeping up behind the guard when the guard twisted unexpectedly and loosed a spray of bullets into the smoke behind him.

Robin didn't even have time to dodge.

* * *

He had broken his wrist when he was four.

His dad had finally given him what he wanted for his birthday; lessons on the high wire (though, for him, it was more like a low wire; it was barely a foot off the ground). His parents, aunt and uncle had laughed when they saw his dejected face.

His dad had knelt down and put his hands on his shoulders. "Someday, you are going to be a great acrobat," he had said. "But all great acrobats have to start somewhere. I started on a wire just like this one, and one day, when you get good, you'll move on to the higher wires and the bigger tricks, just like I did." His dad had flicked him on the nose with his finger. "Cheer up, Dick! As quickly as you learn, you'll be ready for a higher line in no time!"

They had practiced together for hours, and his dad had demonstrated proper technique a few times before allowing him on the wire. Finally, when it grew too dark to safely continue, his mother had made them both come inside.

"Remember," his dad had warned him as they walked into their trailer. "You only practice on this wire, and only when I'm watching."

Of course, later that night he had snuck out of the trailer, determined to get in more practice. He had walked back and forth across the low wire a dozen times when he started to get bored. Then he spotted his family's warm-up wire. It was about the height of the trailer's roof and stretched between two trees. He had clambered up the trees and edged onto the wire, going only a few shaky steps before a wind caused the wire to start shaking. He tried to crouch down to regain his balance as his dad had taught him, but it wasn't enough. With a cry, he fell off the wire and headlong toward the ground. He put his hands out to break his fall, hitting the dirt with a crack! of breaking bone. He had lain on the ground, holding his wrist. He didn't cry, but it hurt.

His parents quickly reached his side and had driven him to the hospital. His mother had held him the entire time, stroking his hair and whispering comforting words in both English and Romani. They finally arrived home just before dawn. He had fallen asleep in the car, and his dad carried him inside, tucking him into bed.

About an hour later, he had awoken with a scream, recalling the sickening feeling of falling. His parents burst into the room and his mother gathered him into her arms. After he had finally calmed down, his mother had tucked him in again, saying that he needed some more rest. Before she left, she knelt down next to the bed and helped him say his bedtime prayer. Her voice was soft and soothing as she said the words. He didn't have any more nightmares that night.

* * *

Robin lay on the ground, wracked with pain. The guard dropped his gun when he realized what he'd done.  
"Aw, shit!" he gibbered. "Aw, shit! Aw, Jesus! Aw, shit! I shot a kid! Jesus, I shot a fucking kid! Shit!" He stopped suddenly, a look of outright fear came over his face. "Shit! I shot Robin! Jesus fucking Christ, the bat's gonna fucking KILL me!"

He turned tail and fled, knowing that he didn't have long. No matter where he went, the bat would come for him.

Robin didn't even try to assess his wounds; he knew the bullets had done catastrophic damage to his abdomen.

As the world started to fade around him, he began to whisper the prayer his mother had taught him. He could almost hear her voice saying the words with him. "Acum mă stabilesc de a dormi/ Mă rog Domnului sufletul meu de a păstra/ Dacă ar trebui să mor inainte sa ma trezesc/ Mă rog Domnului sufletul meu să lua."

_I'm coming, mamă..._

* * *

A/N: Not the chapter I think most of you were hoping for, but I deliberately left the ending of both chapters open to interpretation. I do have an ending in mind, but it isn't one I think most of you would like...

Also, apologies for the multiple uploads. I couldn't get the line breaks to work... *facepalm*


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So sorry this has taken me so long to get up! You know how it is, one minute you and your muse are all buddy-buddy and the next she leaves you stranded. **  
**Ah, well. Such is life. **  
**I know I took a poll on what the outcome of the story should be but my muse and I got in a huge fight over it (hence the leaving). I have decided that my muse is **  
**right (as always) and have followed her advice. Thanks anyway to everyone who voted!**

* * *

He was a failure.

He could still remember the look on Dick's face as he ran to his family's bodies. It was the same look he had worn many years before as he saw his own parents murdered. He had promised, right then and there, that he would protect this boy. And he had failed.

Alfred had told him over and over that what had happened to Master Richard was not Bruce's fault. That he had died doing what he loved - fighting bad guys and finding justice. Bruce didn't believe him; he knew it was all his fault. _He_ was the one who allowed Dick to fight crime. _He_ was the one who had sent Dick out with only a handful of teenagers - inexperienced teenagers at that - to watch his back. _He_ was the one who had assigned them the mission that cost Dick his life. _He_ was the one responsible for everything.

He pushed himself off the grass and stood, looking down at Dick's grave. The gravestone itself was rather small and simple compared to the grand Wayne memorials around it, but it nestled just right between Dick's parents' own headstones. He remembered how Dick had asked for his parents to be buried so far apart; when he had asked Dick why, the boy had answered that someday he wanted to be buried between them. Dick was 8 then. Bruce never imagined having to follow Dick's wishes a mere 6 years later.

The headstone simply read:

Richard John Grayson  
December 1, 1996 - June 3, 2011  
Hero

Most people thought the word "Hero" was included as a tribute to the way Dick died - the press had been told that Dick had died while trying to save an old woman from a fire that started in an apartment building near Dick's school - but a select few knew that Dick had not only died a hero but had lived as one every day of his life. Bruce sighed and started back toward the manor. It had started to snow while he had been sitting by Dick's grave and he knew that if he didn't return to the manor soon, Alfred would come looking for him. Bruce turned his face to the sky. Dick had always loved the snow. He had never gotten the chance to see any before he lived with Bruce; the circus had always toured warmer countries during the snowy months. The first time Dick had ever seen snow, he had turned to Bruce with a look of pure joy on his face and proceeded to drag both Bruce and Alfred into the first snowball fight Wayne manor had seen in 20 years.

Bruce sighed. Dick had brought a lot of light back into his and Alfred's lives. He had forgotten how to smile and laugh before Dick came along. Of course, even with Dick in his life, he didn't smile or laugh _much_, but he _had_. As he reached the door into the kitchen, he turned and looked back across the lawn to the graveyard on the hill. Generations of Waynes lived on that hill, and now Dick would as well. He was where he was supposed to be: among family.


End file.
